The statement follows an incident on Sept 5 in which a two-year-old girl was reportedly attacked by five stray dogs outside her grandmother’s home in Sungai Kelambu, Johor.
PETALING JAYA: Suhakam’s Children’s Commissioners have called on local authorities to identify “child-sensitive roaming-dog hotspots” to prevent future attacks on children.
In a statement today, the commissioners said the hotspots should include schools, kindergartens, playgrounds, public housing (PPR) areas and flats, routes commonly used by children to get to school, as well as locations that have received repeated complaints about aggressive or roaming dogs.
They also urged the Housing and Local Government Ministry, state governments, local councils and the Department of Veterinary Services to adopt more targeted, risk-based approaches to the issue.
Among the recommendations were prioritising complaints involving packs of aggressive dogs near residential areas and schools, establishing standard escalation and follow-up procedures, and strengthening national data collection on dog attacks involving children.
The statement follows an incident on Sept 5 in which a two-year-old girl was reportedly attacked by five stray dogs outside her grandmother’s home in Sungai Kelambu, Johor.
The girl suffered severe injuries to her head and face and was initially taken to a nearby district hospital before being transferred to Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru for further treatment.
The commissioners said the incident should not be viewed in isolation, noting several previous cases of children being bitten or attacked by roaming dogs since 2023.
They also highlighted cases in which children were injured while attempting to escape from dogs, including a 2024 incident in Sitiawan where a boy fleeing from a dog ran into the road and narrowly avoided being hit by a vehicle.
“Children have a right to live, play, walk and travel to school in an environment that is reasonably safe from foreseeable and preventable risks,” the commissioners said.
They noted that young children face heightened risks because of their smaller size and limited ability to protect themselves.
The commissioners stressed that safety education for children, parents, schools and childcare centres remained important, including teaching children how to avoid aggressive animals and emphasising the need to seek medical attention promptly after a dog bite.
However, they cautioned that such education should not shift responsibility for a known public safety hazard onto children.
“A young child should not have to avoid playing outside their home, using a playground or travelling to school because of a foreseeable risk posed by roaming dogs,” they said.
“When a danger to children is known and reasonably preventable, we cannot wait for another tragedy before acting.”
The commissioners described the roaming-dog issue as more than an animal-control matter, framing it as a child protection concern because of the risks posed to children.
At the same time, they stressed that enforcement against stray dogs must comply with the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and be carried out humanely.
They said protecting children and safeguarding animal welfare “can and must be pursued together”.
